Monday, July 4, 2016

Here it is: July. The year is officially more than half over and man is time going fast. I always find myself thinking there isn't enough time to get things done, and that nothing is getting done. And then I go to write up a blog post and discover that maybe things are, in fact, getting done.

For example, the above two paintings. I am constantly complaining that painting isn't happening, yet it must be because I finished two recently. Although... it did take me a month to do them and they are only 9x12 each. I'd like to blame the mess that comes with oil painting and the fact that sometimes I just don't want to get messy.

I finished my "Gone Fishing" Socks shortly after my last blog post, and have already worn and washed them once. Surprisingly the color didn't fade (yet) as much as I thought. But man, photographing that YELLOW was a pain!

Something else that I finished was a quickie wedding gift for my cousin's wedding this weekend. While I will not be attending, I wanted to send them something special since we used to be close growing up. I made four dishcloths with Rowan Cotton. I have come to really like this yearn for dishcloths because it has a nice stitch definition and holds up well. Two have hearts and two have their initials, both of which are R.

Onto the WIPS, I started a cowl recently with some lovely lace I purchased on a visit to Hill Country Weavers in Austin. I had never been to that shop before but had heard many things. It was a bit overwhelming. Picture a small house, every room filled floor to ceiling with yarn. Luckily I was able to find a pattern I liked in my most recent Spring 2016 Knitscene and work from that. The yarn is Anzula Meridian, which is a lovely blend of Tencil, Alpaca and Nylon. Perfect for a summer cowl!

Because I haven't spun in awhile and finally have some extra time, I joined my LYS's Tour de Fleece team. My goal is to finish up my current project - 1 ply of alpaca and 1 ply of merino with sparkle - and then move onto some rainbow BFL I have. So far things are progressing fast.

Art: Check out Meghan Shimek! Her art is so wild, with it's use of thick, heavy fiber. It definitely gives me some ideas.Cooking: We had a going away party for one of our ladies at knit group yesterday. Since she's moving to CO, we did Tex Mex and I made Tres Leches cake. I turned out wonderful!Life: This Austin based band, MCG, visited Bryan for a free concert last week. I fell madly in love and quickly snatched their 3 song EP and a T-shirt. Click below to listen to one of my favorites.

If you're in the States, I hope you have a wonderful Independence Day, and if not, I hope you have a wonderful Monday! Please comment below so that I know you came by :)